The Five Giants

023 - Snake's Unwanted Help

They walked into the rocky cave, which had icicles hanging down from the roof and almost touching the ground. Phoenix knew it was too unsafe at this point for her to be staying in at this point. The icicles looked thick and ready to fall at any moment. Its ends were like teeth, sharp and could tear through any animal's fur in seconds. She didn't mind if it killed her and it was a risk she was willing to take.

She looked up at Sol's darkening gaze, and batted her tail at him. She didn't understand that look but had a terrible feeling about it. Phoenix didn't want to get into anything she'd regret. She sat down, feeling the ice underneath her paws. Phoenix's ears flickered at the cold, her fur wasn't sufficient enough to shelter her from the cold.

Phoenix sighed, "come here and sit." She told Sol. Phoenix noticed his slightly disappointed look as he waddled towards her. At least he wasn't shivering like she was.

Sol examined her for a brief second, "you're stomach has gotten bigger." He said sternly. Phoenix's heart lurched as he began to sniff her.

"I've just been eating a lot," she told him.  Phoenix pushed him away with a paw. "I guess I should cut down on the amount of prey I eat, huh?"

"No, you do you. As long as there's enough for everyone, I think we're cool with it."

Phoenix let out a sigh of relief. She was hoping Angel would appear at any moment to give her some help to get this over and done with. The cold wind blew into the cave, making Phoenix shiver a little bit. Her ears lowered at the cold, Come on, Angel! You can't leave me like this! She silently begged and prayed for Angel to appear.

Phoenix looked up at Sol. He looked exhausted. It wasn't a surprise he did, he looked as if he had gotten into a fight. The blood from his ear covered half of his face and had become dry, making his golden pelt look more brown.

After a few heartbeats of silence, a cat came. That familiar grey pelt made Phoenix feel excited. She smiled widely for a split second, until she realized that the grey pelt was different to Angel's. It was lighter and more matted. She recognized that pelt too well.

"Did you miss me?" Snake rasped, thank god he was just a ghost.

Sol was about to speak when Phoenix cut him off, "I see you've made it to heaven, Snake. Good job." Her eyes were cold on the tom but her words were sly and harsh. A smirk grew on her face. "I'd hate to see you die twice."

"Before you attack, I'd just like to say that I'm a ghost. You can't hurt me, darling." Snake laughed in her face. "Now, my name is Snake Who Teases The Young-"

Sol snorted. "Sounds about right."

Snake shot him a glare before taking a step forward and speaking, "Phoenix, you're on the right track. However, everything you've thought of is incorrect."

"How so?" 

"Do you remember Smokey's words?"

Phoenix nodded, "wait for the full moon. After that point, all the pieces will come together. I don't understand, today's the full moon!"

Sol took a step forward, "I have absolutely no idea what you two are talking about but this Smokey cat you speak of claims that it's after the full moon."

Phoenix nodded, finally understanding. She turned to Snake and tilted her head to one side. "Why're you telling me this?"

"Because you're an idiot." Snake responded before he faded away into nothing.

Phoenix clenched her jaws. Who let him enter heaven, ugh. Her thoughts were accompanied by an eyeroll as she laid down onto the ground. She stretched out her paws in front of her, realising the tensed muscles in her arms and  leaned over to lap at her enlarged stomach. During her cleaning process, she felt Sol's warm pelt against hers and didn't hesitate to stop and stare at him for a few seconds. Their gazes locked together before she went back to cleaning.

Sol purred softly, moving forward to lap at the back of her head. He was surprised to see she hadn't yet moved away from him yet. It made him wonder, why was he suddenly so interested in the young cat? He was already twelve months old, making him an adult now. This was technically illegal. Sol felt lost in his thoughts, lowering his blue gaze to the ginger molly. He smiled. "Hey Phoenix," he spoke slowly, his deep voice low. "Do you remember back when we were little, I said you were adorable and tiny?" 

Phoenix stopped between licks to nod, "yes I remember."

Sol chuckled, "good because that hasn't changed."

Phoenix paused, feeling flustered by his words. What did he mean by that? Does he really think she's cute? She turned to him and batted him with a paw, "I'm not that small."

"Maybe not, you're pretty tiny to be fair."

"I'll cut you."

She tried to hide her amusement but it was too much. She and Sol both let out a small laugh before quietening down to get some rest. She got into a fairly comfortable position and closed her eyes. Phoenix felt tired after a long day of doing practically nothing. She felt warm on the icy floor thanks to Sol's warmth. She slowly drifted away into a deep sleep.

--

There was a loud, high-pitched yowl.

Phoenix lifted her head quickly, immediately feeling cold. There was nothing beside her. Sol was gone. She scrambled to her paws and ran outside of the cave, ignoring the piercing cold that made her body feel numb. Phoenix caught the scent of blood and tasted the air. Her eyes saw the droplets of the familiar crimson liquid and looked towards it. It's dark red shade created a pool, staining the beautiful, fluffy snow.

Phoenix stumbled carefully towards it and furrowed her eyebrows. She was fairly curious and began to fear whatever came next. Whatever was about to happen, whatever she was about to come across, it wasn't good. The puddles got bigger and it looked as if something had been dragged away. Phoenix was about to turn back when she caught a glimpse of something. Something morbid, something absolutely heartbreaking. She froze, her eyes wide.

Mama White was dead.